DAYS OF APPRECIATION
At A Snail's Pace
At A Snail's Pace
I went back to the forest to plant myself amongst the trees and unleash my spirit to the air where, the wind and my breath become a continuum of fresh born life. It was a cloudy day, pregnant with a swelled sense of rain but not a drop touched the ground. And with every step forward, I unfolded through tiny wildflowers peeking through leaves and sticks, exotic mushrooms mounted on trees, and open-faced acorns awaiting consumption by frisky little critters lurking about. The trail was only 1.2 miles but time seemed to move at length and the path stretched on forever. Every time I thought I completed the loop, I found myself walking more. I have to admit, I was feeling a little anxious. I was walking alone and the ground-scape bled seamlessly into the path so I had to pay attention to my footing very carefully. I thought, “Am I going the wrong way?” Just then, I heard a young couple walking up behind me. As they neared my location, I asked with an awkward chuckle, “Hey, does this trail ever end?” I was assured by the young man that we were close. At first, they followed me. Then I uttered, “Well, if we never get out of here, at least we have each other…” but the path veered in a direction further into the woods. Once we realized that, the young man took charge and redirected. Now, I was behind them.
Boy, they were movin’ and groovin’ at a rapid clip! Talking and laughing and moving swiftly by, just maneuvering with accuracy and skill up and down small hills, squeezing through narrowing paths, stepping on top and underneath rocks, jumping over fallen trees and beyond! One foot in front of the other and onward they went! At first, I just wanted to keep up with them so I didn’t feel so alone or lost. Then I became curious as to how in the world they were conquering this path like some secret walking weapons of destruction. I was trying to keep them in my view, my feet in rhythm and pace with theirs but the terrain could easily twist an ankle. I couldn’t imagine how fast they were going with such ease when I was breathing so deeply, I could taste stagnation in my mouth. I thought about youth and age and the differences between, sweating through this fury all the way to the end. Nothing in the path seemed to phase them and I was falling further and further behind. Until, I realized, these two spring chickens who were once my only companions through this forest jungle now, became just a distant blur of fading colors and indistinct murmurs. As if the forest just absorbed them into its atmosphere and left me only the memory.
As the shadow's of this couple haunted my view, I decided, to just be me. I sought to go at my own pace. I slowed my pace and come back to the ground where my steps followed the wild flowers and magic mushrooms. I deliberately found my footing. I kept one eye on the path and an inner eye on me. I moved gracefully, with a sense of contemplation draping my figure like a sheer curtain in the sun tempting enlightenment and curiosity in my eyes. My spirit engaging with the secrets and signatures of nature's, inside country. My lungs took in breath deeply and a natural flow of vitality was restored. My body caught up with my feet. My heart rate balanced and harmonized with the rythmic sounds of nature’s symphonic atmosphere. I was present. I was moving, but I was here and I was now. The other's faded, eclipsed from sight and gone. That’s when I stopped. I looked down and saw the pearlescent spiral of a shell, like a backpack of wisdom moving atop the rocks. It was a small snail moving at his own pace, one meter at a time. I’ve never seen a snail in person before and then I heard the wind whisper, She said, “When you slow down, you get to see what’s there for you.”
- Tiny Poet
Love,
Jennifer
Gentle Touch Healing
Healing through Compassion
Days of Appreciation, At a Snail's Pace, Tiny Poet, 10/29/2020
Boy, they were movin’ and groovin’ at a rapid clip! Talking and laughing and moving swiftly by, just maneuvering with accuracy and skill up and down small hills, squeezing through narrowing paths, stepping on top and underneath rocks, jumping over fallen trees and beyond! One foot in front of the other and onward they went! At first, I just wanted to keep up with them so I didn’t feel so alone or lost. Then I became curious as to how in the world they were conquering this path like some secret walking weapons of destruction. I was trying to keep them in my view, my feet in rhythm and pace with theirs but the terrain could easily twist an ankle. I couldn’t imagine how fast they were going with such ease when I was breathing so deeply, I could taste stagnation in my mouth. I thought about youth and age and the differences between, sweating through this fury all the way to the end. Nothing in the path seemed to phase them and I was falling further and further behind. Until, I realized, these two spring chickens who were once my only companions through this forest jungle now, became just a distant blur of fading colors and indistinct murmurs. As if the forest just absorbed them into its atmosphere and left me only the memory.
As the shadow's of this couple haunted my view, I decided, to just be me. I sought to go at my own pace. I slowed my pace and come back to the ground where my steps followed the wild flowers and magic mushrooms. I deliberately found my footing. I kept one eye on the path and an inner eye on me. I moved gracefully, with a sense of contemplation draping my figure like a sheer curtain in the sun tempting enlightenment and curiosity in my eyes. My spirit engaging with the secrets and signatures of nature's, inside country. My lungs took in breath deeply and a natural flow of vitality was restored. My body caught up with my feet. My heart rate balanced and harmonized with the rythmic sounds of nature’s symphonic atmosphere. I was present. I was moving, but I was here and I was now. The other's faded, eclipsed from sight and gone. That’s when I stopped. I looked down and saw the pearlescent spiral of a shell, like a backpack of wisdom moving atop the rocks. It was a small snail moving at his own pace, one meter at a time. I’ve never seen a snail in person before and then I heard the wind whisper, She said, “When you slow down, you get to see what’s there for you.”
- Tiny Poet
Love,
Jennifer
Gentle Touch Healing
Healing through Compassion
Days of Appreciation, At a Snail's Pace, Tiny Poet, 10/29/2020